In an interview with a current affairs programme which looked at how ride hailing applications Uber and Grab are shaking up Singapore’s taxi industry, SMU Associate Professor of Information Systems and Deputy Director (Research) of Fujitsu-SMU Urban Computing & Engineering Corp Lab Cheng Shih-Fen discussed the graveness of the threat they pose to Singapore’s taxi industry. He noted that there is definitely a direct impact, citing the sudden drop (in 2015) in the number of trips a single shift taxi can do, which he believes is an indication that Uber and Grab are really taking away some of the business from taxi drivers. Associate Prof Cheng also shared his views on the possible consequences if Uber and Grab drivers are not forced to meet any kind of regulations. He highlighted that it will not be possible to ensure good service quality even during non-peak hours, on top of raising the issue of cherry picking, whereby drivers only come in to serve customers during desirable hours, when they can earn more income.
[Featured Photo: Associate Professor Cheng Shih-Fen]